cyberhousewife.com

It’s time for the baby’s bath. It’s been a busy day, and you have a lot on your mind. Your child loves playing in the warm water, but tonight it feels like just one more thing to do.

Is this a good time for a language lesson, even if you don’t feel like it? You bet. Talking with your child during everyday events like nappy changes and baths is a great way to help your child learn the sounds and words of language.

‘It’s time to wash your hair now. Should we use the cup to pour the water? Lean your head back a little so the soap doesn’t get in your eyes. Let’s dip the washcloth in the water so we can clean your little nose. Do you have dirt under your fingernails? Let’s see if we can get it out …’

More is better

When it comes to teaching your child language, it’s how much you talk to her that counts the most. It may sound simple, but the best way to build children’s vocabularies during the critical first three years of life is to talk with them – a lot.

One study looked at the everyday talk between parents and children in 42 families. The results clearly showed that children’s vocabularies grew faster and they scored higher on IQ tests when their parents talked to them often.

Talking to children throughout the day helps in two ways. When parents talk more often, they use a wider range of words. Also, parents who talk a lot with their kids usually use longer and more complex sentences. This helps children learn what words mean, how grammar works, and how to talk about things in the past or the future. And when parents have ‘conversations’ with their young children, they create a foundation for good communication down the road.

Talking gap

All parents talk to their children. But the study found big differences in the types of conversations some families have. Researchers spent one hour a month with each family tape-recording the conversations between parents and children. The results were surprising:

• One group of parents spent an average of 40 minutes each hour interacting with their children, while another group spent about 15 minutes per hour.
• Some parents spoke more than 2000 words an hour on average to their kids compared with others who spoke around 600.
• One set of families responded to their children 250 times an hour on average, while another responded only 50 times.
• After three years, children from the most talkative families are exposed to nearly 30 million words, while those from the least talkative may have heard only 10 million (see figure 1).

Quantity is quality

In each family, all the children learned enough language to get through everyday experiences. And for the most part, the conversations were about similar things. Families talked about people, places, actions, feelings, objects, experiences and past and future events. They answered their children’s questions and responded to their actions. And they guided them with encouragements such as ‘that’s great, honey,’ and restrictions such as ‘don’t touch that’.

If the families seemed to talk about the same things, why were some children speaking and understanding more words at age three? It turns out that the more parents talked to their children, the better the conversations got in terms of variety and richness.

Take bath time as an example. The more you talk to your child, the more likely you are to use different and more creative nouns, verbs, and modifiers. Sentences will become more complex and longer. You’ll ask more questions. And there is a greater chance you will talk about things in the past and in the future. Conversations like these help build a child’s vocabulary.

‘Look at those little dirty hands. They got so dirty playing outside today! Do you remember digging in the dirt? We found a little worm that wiggled in your hand. I’ll bet next time we’ll find more worms and bugs. Oops – it looks like there’s some dirt in your hair too! Let’s wash your hair now …’

The study also found that talkative parents were much more likely to guide their children with positive feedback such as ‘good’ or ‘that’s right’. When parents were talking less, they were more likely to use negative feedback such as ‘stop that’ or ‘don’t’. The families that talked the most used an encouraging tone 70-80% of the time, while those that talked the least were more likely to scold or use a discouraging tone.

Big words, big boost

By the age of three, children from families that talked the most had an average vocabulary more than twice the size of children from families that talked the least (see figure 2).

Not only did they understand more, they were able to use language to talk about a broader range of subjects. Even six years later, children from talkative families outscored others on language tests and reading comprehension.

Talking tips

So what’s the key to talking more with your children? The researchers noticed some good strategies parents used when interacting with their children.

• Just talk: Use everyday events like folding laundry, changing nappies or doing the dishes. Talk enough to keep the child cooperative and engaged. This works well with younger children learning their first words.
• Listen: When children talk, even if it’s silly or hard to understand, use it as a chance to add information, encourage more talking, or to elaborate on what they said. ‘You’re talking about the little bird? Look at his pointy beak. What colour is his beak? He can fly high in the air.’
• Be nice: Kids need our guidance to learn what’s OK to do. When they do something they shouldn’t, suggest a better or right way to do it and avoid negative criticism. For example, a parent could say, ‘We write on paper, not on the walls’, instead of ‘Don’t do that!’
• Give choices: Whether trying to get a child to do something like pick up toys or teaching them to use a spoon or fork, choices are important. Give choices that are real. ‘Do you want to eat your peas or your rice first? Do you want the blue or the green cup?’
• Talk some more: It’s a big new world for kids, so help them by pointing out interesting things. ‘Look at the yellow bird in the sky! It reminds me of the story grandma told us about …’ Talking about things is a great way to remember past adventures and prepare them for new experiences.

Helpful parenting tips

• Talk. Engage your child all day long, asking questions, explaining things, and adding new ideas. Try to use full sentences and lots of different words.
• Use positive, affirming language to guide your child’s behaviour. ‘I like it when you hang up your coat!’ Use negative language sparingly.
• Read lots of stories. Read favourite books over and over. Try sharing books with friends, or bringing home new stories from the library.
• Talk to your child even if your child is not a talker. Some kids are naturally quiet. Talking to them will help them learn the language just the same.
• In a large family, pay special attention to younger ones to make sure they are getting the verbal attention they need.
• Grandma, grandpa, uncles, aunts, neighbours, siblings and babysitters – encourage all of those who love your children to talk with them as much as possible.

Children start the wonderful road of learning language from the day they are born. Parents who talk to their children throughout the day are giving them a gift. The language they learn will help them enjoy and understand the world around them, and it will prepare them for the challenges of life ahead.

Source: http://raisingchildren.net.au/

6 Ways to Stop Whinning

Source: http://parenting.ivillage.com/

Many parents have theorized that there’s a recessive gene that seems to be present in about 99 percent of young children: the whining gene.

If only DNA or some other scientific phenomenon could account for why so many of our kids resort to whining when they want something. And coming up with an effective coping strategy to pull the plug on whining can greatly improve your relationship with your child. On the other hand, coming up with the wrong one will only encourage more whining.

According to a recent survey of almost 1,650 parents conducted by Parent Soup, the best way to stop whining is to calmly explain to your kids why it’s not appropriate. More than 40 percent of respondents said children are most likely to obey if you are calm, but firm, with your explanation. Almost 30 percent of those quizzed said they simply ignore the whining and that their kids stop once they realize they aren’t eliciting a reaction. About 22 percent said their kids stop whining when they pretend not to understand what the child is saying.

Experts say parents must exercise caution when their children resort to whining. If you mock or ignore them, this might enrage them. It’s important to know WHY they are whining. If they feel it’s the only way to get your attention, it’s time to take stock of how much attention you’re giving your children. On the other hand, providing positive reinforcement by “caving” to their requests will only encourage them to whine more.

Here’s a selection of some of the best advice offered by members of the Parent Soup communities:

1. “I try to ignore whining, then I try to explain why (my son) shouldn’t whine, then I cajole, threaten, and finally … I WHINE!!!”

2. “My best advice: Let your ‘no’ mean no and your ‘yes’ mean yes. Giving in to whining just perpetuates the habit.”

3. “If my children whine, I make it clear that I did not understand what they have said (even if I have). They (soon) realize that they must speak in an acceptable way, i.e. moderate tone, (proper) enunciation. … When they speak in an appropriate way, they are acknowledged and addressed. When they whine, they are misunderstood and unanswered.”

4. “By whining, our children learn that we will then pay attention to them. … It’s not their tone of voice that we should be reinforcing. We really can avoid the problem with better listening skills and (hopefully they will no longer feel the need to indulge the) nasty whining habit.”

5. “My house is full of kids with a sense of humor. … If they whine, I whine right back. “But, Mooooom…,” they drag on. “But, daaarlings…,” I yodel. Usually they are sick of me first. Victory!”

6. “Did you notice the ‘What’s the best way to stop your child from whining?’ poll did not allow for any answer involving actually trying to find why the child is whining? Is it because the poller/s assumed a child is doing it only to annoy us grown-ups?”

Written by childcare expert and author Penelope Leach

Babies have an inbuilt interest in human voices and a natural tendency to listen and to concentrate when someone is talking. You can build on this as you did when your child was a baby.

How can I help my toddler learn to talk?
Talk as much and as often as you can directly to your toddler. Try to make some of these conversations just between you and him. If you are talking, or reading, to him and an older sibling, your toddler will not get as much repetition and explanation as he can use, and as much as he will get if he is alone with you. Look at him while you talk. Let him see your face and your gestures.

Let your toddler see what you mean, by matching what you do to what you say. “Off with your shirt,” you say, taking it off over his head; “Now your shoes”, removing them.

Let your toddler see what you feel by matching what you say with your facial expressions. This is no age for teasing (what age is?). If you give him a big hug while saying “Who’s mummy’s great horrible grubby monster then?” you will confuse him. Your face is saying “Who is mummy’s gorgeous boy?”

Help your child to understand your overall communication; it does not matter whether he understands your exact words or not. If you cook something, put plates on the table and then hold out your hand to him saying, “It’s lunch time now”. He will understand that his lunch is ready and will come to his high chair. He might not have understood the words “lunch time now” without those other cues to go with them. He will learn the meanings of the words themselves through understanding them, again and again, in helpful contexts.

Share enthusiasm, emotion and emphasis; whether you are talking about a flood of love for your toddler or a flock of rare birds in the sky, those are the speech qualities that will catch and hold his attention and motivate him to try and understand what you are saying.

How can I help my toddler to communicate?

Help your child to realise that all talk is communication. If you chat away to yourself without waiting for a response or looking as if you want one, or if you don’t bother to answer when he or another member of the family speaks to you, he is bound to feel that words are just meaningless sounds.

Don’t have talk as background noise. If you like to have the radio on all day, try to keep it to music unless you are actually listening. If you are listening, let him see that you are receiving meaningful communication from the voice he cannot see.

Act as your toddler’s interpreter. You will find it much easier to understand his language than strangers do and he will find it much easier to understand you and other “special” people than to understand strangers.

How can I teach my toddler about truth and lies?
Your child may learn new words and use them correctly, but he may miss the subtler meanings those words convey to adults. He cannot possibly understand the concept of a promise, for example. Yet he may well use the word. If you offer him five minutes more play if he promises to come straight to bed afterwards, he will happily say “promise”. However, the word is nothing but an agreement label. After those five minutes, he wants a further five. He cannot understand the reproach in your voice as you say, “but you promised.”

Words often make trouble over truth, too. Your toddler may talk fluently enough to issue accusations and denials long before their accuracy means anything to him. He talks as he feels. It might have been the dog that made that puddle: he wishes it had been and says that it was. During a quarrel with his sister, he falls and hurts his knee. He says that she pushed him — which she did not. But although she did not hurt his knee, she did hurt his feelings. He is telling a kind of feeling-truth which just happens to be different from adult truth.

As he grows, you will be able to demonstrate the value of promises thoughtfully made and reliably kept; of truth (usually) told, and lies (mostly) avoided. But it is too soon yet. Don’t corner him with concepts he cannot understand. He is doing his best to please, but if nothing less than child standards can please you, he will fail.

source: http://www.babycenter.com.au/

Playing can stimulate the children’s brain. Children learn how to fine their skills and figure out the world through play. Realizing this, many parents nowadays outfitted their house with expensive development toys. But actually this is not necessary. Just buy toys that are multi-functional and have numerous way to play, so they don’t easily get bored with the toys. Children will enjoy more if you play together with them.

If you are looking for toys, make sure you consider about the safety. Choose toys that most suitable for your children’s age. Neglecting about the safety can cause incidents such as choking hazards. Here are some tips to buy safe toys:

• Choose battery-powered toys instead of electrical toys to avoid electrical shocks or burns.
• Choose toys with sound less than 85 decibels. Toys that exceed 100 db can cause hearing damage. Toys labeled with “intended for outdoor use only” means they emit really loud sound.
• Avoid flying objects.
• Avoid sharp edges toys.
• Avoid too tiny parts. This make cause choking hazards.
• Avoid violent videos or games.
• Choose suitable toys for your children’s age.

Be sure you supervise your toddler when he is playing.

Visit www.educationaltoysplanet.com for safe and quality educational toys.

By Joan Franklin Smutny for Your Baby Today

A gifted child demonstrates unique and clever behavior long before a school acknowledges it. Though, parents-especially new parents with little experience-may not recognize the special talents of their child until a standardized test or a teacher evaluation identifies those talents. Some parents may suspect that something is different about their child, but they shy away from the subject. Parents are the best judges of their child’s abilities, particularly from infancy to seven years old; therefore, they should trust their instincts and act on them.

What do you look for in a potentially gifted toddler? A high level of curiosity is often the most immediate sign of giftedness, but you also should look for early development in three general areas:

• Motor skills (ability to execute large and small motor tasks with ease)
• Quantities (large vocabulary, long attention span, long and often complex sentences, fast absorption of knowledge)
• Comparisons (compared to other children: finds more ways to use toys and tools, an imaginative approach to activities, concocts creative solutions to problems, shows deeper understanding of questions and answers from adults)

Your toddler may be gifted if he or she:

• Sits through a reading of a long book and then asks hear it again
• Walks or talks early, and/or shows early interest in the alphabet
• Shows interest in and understands numbers and time concepts
• Completes puzzles intended for older children
• Compensates for handicaps-learns to adjust and function in spite of them
• Demonstrates strong sensitivity and response to music
• Remembers complex events and describes them vividly long after the fact
• Expresses an advanced sense of humor-recognizes incongruities as humorous
• Relays stories or narrates events clearly and creates a plausible ending to a story
• Absorbs songs and poems quickly and recites them accurately
• Expresses impatience with limitations (i.e., when the mind wants to perform tasks that the body can’t yet handle)
• Comprehends how things should fit in the scheme of things; stands firms is intolerant of something she perceives to be unfair
• Consistently organizes, sorts, arranges, and classifies things, and then assigns them all names
• Understands cause and effect, makes inferences, responds to directions, and multitasks earlier than others

To notice a toddler’s special talents — that is, before they attend school — is beneficial to their development. If they receive the support, guidance, and instruction that are appropriate to their skills, they’re more likely to reach their full potential. As a parent, you are your child’s first teacher-be observant and encouraging.

Source: parenthood.com

Telling Stories to Children
By Jennie Amit Gandhi

Parents promise themselves to give the best to their children. The bar is high for parents to teach the kids values on tradition, discipline, language skills so as the kids grow up to be able citizens. The effort surely is rewarding when children imbibe the right things. Exploration is natural by committing mistakes. Parents should recognize and correct the wrong behaviour.

All children demand stories, be it eating time, a boring travel journey and surely it is a bed ritual. If you have paucity of time juggling with chores, then invest in some interesting fairy tale bed time story books. Children’s literature abounds with millions of elves, fairy, goblin, monster and sea devil stories. Interesting colour pictures, expressions and touch-feel books are available in the market. Rewarding the child through books is a valuable idea.

If you are reading a story, be enthusiastic. Use one hand free to articulate exclamations, pauses, commas and happiness. Use up and down animated versions and help the child participate. Children do not respond to routine and mundane reading. They are bored easily by repetitive ordeals and let story sessions be bonding times.

Both parents have to involve themselves either simultaneously or choose alternate days to suit schedules. The mind of the parent should be free and pending works should not interfere the narration. It is necessary, that one does the homework fool proof to answer surprising questions and explanations.

Introduce new words each time. Teach them words like good, nice, wonderful, best all mean positive happenings. Let them understand that bad, ugly, wrong is negative. Teach them opposites like day-night, up-down, sweet-bitter expressing them with your hands and face.

In case you are tired and it is natural that fatigue refrains you from being natural, then read a short story with nice colour patterns. Laze on a hammock with your child on a holiday and narrate true stories about your childhood. All of us live vicariously through our children during their growing years. So the best patterns are narrating a few lines about honesty, hard work and value about money.

If the child has a habit of seeing pictures from a very keen age, the child gets easily adapted to a pattern of self study. Their orientation is structured and they will focus on reading independently. Telling stories is an art and all parents naturally master it. Bed times are special and make sure not to introduce scary surprises and kids might visualize them in their dreams causing nightmares.

Actually the goblins, witches, wizards are to be introduced necessarily to deem it as non emulative values. Hence like all other theories on raising kids, tell them stories rich in tradition, worldly pursuits and also about the ‘Almighty’. Teach them the sacrifice of Christ and read them lucidly about Hindu mythology.

If you are really keen in imparting in rich values to your kid, check our sites on short stories, pumpkin carving and infant activities.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jennie_Amit_Gandhi
http://EzineArticles.com/?Telling-Stories-to-Children&id=1145062

Coloring for Kids
By Jennie Amit Gandhi

Sound and sight delight newborns. Their sense of smell is acute and hence they identify so well with their care giver. This is when stimulation is high to touch, seeing and hearing and this is our best chance to slowly expose the child to life’s pleasures. It is a very surprising fact, that children have sound logics. Many times they identify items by way of color, shape and size. The smile and the twinkle in the eye on seeing a colourful object is their way of recognizing things and a sure reason to mark a milestone.

When we buy a rattle for a child, they are intrigued by the color and sound of it. Flying objects like a silly cloth hanging on the clothesline attracts their attention and they are often found squealing at the curtain or moving colourful items. Once the motor skills are achieved, probably by the age of two, it is the best time to introduce them to the colourful world.

Invest in a good clay set for starters and let them play with the same. Make a snail and snake and they will love/imitate the same. Appreciate surely. Teach them the basic color like red, blue, green, yellow, white and black. Buy a thick crayon stick and let them hold the same for an entire day. Anything novel is a fancy item. Slowly introduce the paper and let them do what they want with it.

The next week is exciting for both of you. Give them a crayon and demonstrate how to hold the same. Take a paper and scribble, doodle or draw a huge circle. They sure are amazed at the wonder. Encourage them to mimic the activity. Many kids may not be particularly fond of your coloring themes and for starters they may shred the paper or want to break the crayon. Use safe colors and please supervise to avoid accidental swallowing.

One need not be a painter or blessed with a artistic bone to teach the child to color. Invest your time and be with the child. Toddlers have keen interest in colors. Water colors are best for holiday recreation. Get to a family ‘painting Sunday’ in the garden and have your breakfast along with coloring. Each person needs to color a picture. Ready pictures are available in animal prints, vehicles, body parts and cute daily life activities.

Make a garden, a mountain, river with boats, fishes and a wide mouthed crocodile. Draw a star, sing a rhyme on astronomy and let your child color all the pictures. Clap hard and praise well ignoring the mess. Draw an edge for them near the outline and tell them to color the hair in black, brown or golden. They will slowly become independent and present you a colored picture for approval.

Outline alphabets, balls, houses, blocks and get them to know about magenta, turquoise and ash blue. Mix colors for them. Teach them to count and recognize words but end the revisions with coloring.

The best time to make wise use of colors is during festivals. Halloween coloring pages
and pumpkin carving using pumpkin stencils is the best way to enter the world of colors. Children can also learn cake decorating ideas, painting ideas and other coloring ways by exploring their creativity and thoughts.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jennie_Amit_Gandhi
http://EzineArticles.com/?Coloring-for-Kids&id=1145087

Getting stressed handling your mischievous children? Thinking to practice time-out? I found a good article about time-out guidelines..let’s read it on…

Time-out Guidelines for Parents
Patrick C. Friman, Ph.D.
Girls and Boys Town

What is time-out?
Time-out is a way of disciplining your child for misbehavior without raising your hand or your voice. Time-out involves removing your child from the good stuff in life, for a small amount of time, immediately following misbehavior. Time-out for children is similar to penalties used for hockey players. When a hockey player has misbehaved on the ice, he is required to go to the penalty area for two minutes. The referee does not scream at, threaten, or hit the player. He merely blows the whistle and points to the penalty area. During the penalty time, the player is not allowed to play, only watch. Time-out bothers hockey players because they would rather play hockey than watch. Keep this hockey comparison in mind when using time-out for your child. Children usually do not like time-out because they would rather play than watch other kids play. So when you use time-out in response to a misbehavior, remove your child from whatever he or she is doing and have him or her sit down.

Where should the time-out area be located?
You do not have to use the same location each time. Just make sure the location is convenient for you. For example, using a downstairs chair is inconvenient when the problem behavior occurs upstairs. An adult-sized chair works best, but a step, footstool, bench, or couch will also work. Make sure the area is well-lit and free from all dangerous objects. Also make sure your child cannot watch TV or play with toys.

How long should time-out last?
The upper limit should be one quiet minute for every year your child has been alive. So if you have a 2-year-old, aim for two quiet minutes. Keep in mind, children do not like time-out, and they can be very public with their opinion. So it may take some time to get those two minutes. This is especially true in the beginning when children do not know the rules and still cannot believe you are doing this to them. For some reason, the calmer you remain, the more upset they are likely to become. This is all part of the process. Discipline works best when you administer it calmly.

So, do not begin the time until your child is calm and quiet. If your child is crying or throwing a tantrum, it does not count toward the required time. If you start the time because your child is quiet but he or she starts to cry or tantrum, wait until your child is quiet again and then start the time over. Do not let your child leave time-out unless he or she is calm; your child must remain seated and be quiet to get out of time-out. Some programs suggest using timers. Timers can be helpful but are not necessary. If you use one, remember the timer is to remind parents that time-out is over, not children.

What counts as quiet time?
Generally, quiet time occurs when your child is not angry or upset, and is not yelling or crying. You must decide when your child is calm and quiet. Some children get perfectly still and quiet while in they’re in time-out. Other children find it hard to sit still and not talk. Fidgeting and “happy talk” should usually count as being calm and quiet. For example, if your son sings or talks softly to himself, that counts as quiet time. Some children do what we call “dieseling,” which is the quiet sniffling that usually follows a tantrum. Since a “dieseling” child is usually trying to stop crying but cannot find the off switch, this also should be counted as quiet time.

What if the child leaves the chair before time is up?
Say nothing! Calmly (and physically) return your child to the chair. For children who are 2 to 4 years old, unscheduled departures from the chair are a chronic problem early in the time-out process. Stay calm and keep returning the child to the chair. If you tire or become angry, invite your spouse (or any adult who is nearby) to assist you as a tag-team partner. If you are alone and become overly tired or angry, retreat with honor. But when help arrives or when your strength returns, set the stage for another time-out.

What if my child misbehaves in the chair?
Say nothing and ignore everything that is not dangerous to child, yourself, and the furniture. I repeat: Say nothing! What do I mean by nothing? I mean not anything, the absence of something, the empty set, the amount of money you have when you have spent it all, the result of two minus two or what zero equals. I mean nothing. Most of your child’s behavior in the chair is an attempt to get you to react and say something, anything. So expect the unexpected, especially if you are a nagger, screamer, explainer, warner, reasoner, or just a talker. And I mean the unexpected. They may spit up, wet, blow their nose on their clothes (you may be tempted to say “Yecch” but…do not), strip, throw things, make unkind comments about your parenting skills, or simply say they do not love you anymore. Do not worry. They will love you again when their time is up, believe me.

When should I use time-out?
When you first start, use it for only one or two problem behaviors. After your child has learned to “do” time-out, you can expand the list of problem behaviors. In general, problem behaviors fall into three categories: 1) anything dangerous to self or others; 2) defiance and/or noncompliance; and 3) obnoxious or bothersome behavior. Use time-out for “1” and “2” and ignore anything in category “3.” If you cannot ignore something, move it into category “2” by issuing a command (e.g., “Take the goldfish out of the toilet.”). Then if the child does not comply, you can use time-out for noncompliance. Be sure to use time-out as consistently as possible. For example, try to place your child in time-out each time a targeted behavior occurs. I realize you cannot be 100 percent consistent because it is in our nature to adapt. But be as consistent as you can.

In general, immediately following a problem behavior, tell your child what he or she did and take him or her to time-out. (With older children, send them to time-out.) For example, you might say, “No hitting. Go to timeout.” Say this calmly and only once. Do not reason or give long explanations to your child. If your child does not go willingly, take him or her to time-out, using as little force as needed. For example, hold your daughter gently by the hand or wrist and walk to the time-out area. Or, carry her facing away from you (so that she does not confuse a hug and a trip to time-out). As I suggested earlier, avoid giving your child a lot of attention while he or she is being put in time-out. Do not argue with, threaten, or spank your child. And what should you say? Hint: Starts with “No”’ and ends with “thing.” Answer: Say nothing!

What do I do when time is up?
When the time-out period is over, ask your child, “Are you ready to get up?” Your child must answer yes in some way (or nod yes) before you give permission for him or her to get up. Do not talk about why the child went into time-out, how the child behaved while in time-out, or how you want your child to behave in the future. In other words, do not nag. If your child says “No,” answers in an angry tone of voice, or will not answer all, start time-out over again. If your child chooses to stay in the chair, fine. It is hard to cause real trouble in time-out.

What do I do when my child leaves the chair?
If you placed your child in time-out for not doing what you told him or her to do, repeat the instruction. This will help teach your child you mean business. It also gives your child a chance to behave in a way that is good for business. If he or she still does not obey the instruction, then place him or her in time-out again. In addition, add in a few other easy-to-follow, one-step commands. If he or she does them, praise the performance. If not, back to time-out. Generally, use this opportunity to train your child to follow your instructions when those instructions are delivered in a normal tone of voice without being repeated.

The general rule for ending time-out is to praise a good behavior. Once time-out is over, reward your child for the kinds of behaviors you want him or her to use. Catch them being good.

Should I explain the rules of time-out to my child?
Before using time-out, you should explain the rules to your child once. At a time when your child is not misbehaving, explain what time-out is (simply), which problem behaviors time-out will be used for, and how long time-out will last. Practice using time-out with your child before using the procedure. While practicing, remind your child you are “pretending” this time. They will still go “ballistic” when you do your first real time-outs, but you will be reassured that you have done your part to explain the fine print.

1. Choose time-out areas.
2. Explain time-out.
3. Use time-out every time the problem behaviors occur.
4. Be specific and brief when you explain why your child must go to time-out.
5. Do not talk to or look at your child during time-out.
6. If your child gets up from the chair, return him or her to the chair with no talking.
7. Your child must be calm and quiet to leave time-out once time is up.
8. Your child must answer yes politely when you ask, “Would you like to get up?”
9. If you wanted your child to follow an instruction, give him or her another chance after time-out is over. And, in general, deliver a few other easy-to-follow commands so your child clearly learns who is in charge and who is not.
10. Catch them being good.

Source: http://www.parenting.org

It is safe to say that parenting is the toughest, but most rewarding job. You have the task of molding a young life so that a child may grow and become a parent one day as well. However, in the process of nurturing there will be obstacles. Your child may ask you something you do not want to answer or do not know how to answer. Children have inquisitive minds and the question may be on any topic imaginable from sex to terrorism to how to pick a prom dress. Then you, the parent, now ponder – How do I answer my child’s difficult questions?

While there is no correct answer, here are a few tips that should lead you in the right direction.

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Why it happens

Until he’s 3 or 4, your child isn’t really able to distinguish between reality and fantasy. What that means is that it’s impossible for your 1- or 2-year-old to grasp the concepts of lying and telling the truth. His fibs may stem from:

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